Animal I Have Become
by Daughter of Sekhmet
Summary: After a hasty retreat from the Republic, Grievous is attacked by a mysterious creature on an unexplored planet. Though barely escaping with sanity intact, the trouble seems to have just begun. For soon, Grievous begins to change... ON HIATUS
1. The Creature

**A/N:** Another stampedin', screamin' story that was inspired by a picture on Deviantart. The title of this picture is "What if?...." and depicts Grievous in a very interesting situation. After looking at it I came up with an idea of how he got into that situation in the first place, and this story was born.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own General Grievous or Star Wars. They belong to George Lucas (I wonder if he'll let me borrow Grievous, though?). The creature, however, belongs to me.

The Creature

_"Grievous! Grievous, answer me!"_ Dooku's voice appeared over General Grievous's personal commlink, much to his annoyance. He quickly bit down his first rather rude remark and instead answered with a more civilized one.  
"I'm just exploring the region." Knowing Dooku would be asking why, he quickly made up an story. "There could be some resources that could help fund the Confederacy." _And I'm just trying to get away from you,_ he silently added.  
Grievous had first found the planet in the Outer Rim after retreating from a humiliating defeat on planet called Gepparin. It had a relatively comfortable gravity, an atmosphere suitable for humans, five oceans, and several large landmasses that contained climates ranging from pure ice at the poles to blistering desserts at the equator. The only life-bearing rock in this system, it orbited a bright blue star with four other planets.  
The temporary outpost Grievous had set up was located in the middle of a savanna that apparently was just starting its dry season. Yellowing plants crackled and broke apart wherever Grievous stepped, yet the shapes of local fauna and the glint of sunlight reflecting off water could be seen in the distance.  
An impatient snort sounded over the link. _"Since when did you care about the Confederacy?"_ Dooku's voice dripped with sarcasm. _"Besides, I highly doubt you'll find anything in this wasteland, unless you expect some sentient beings to come up to you and give you all their priceless treasure."_  
"You never really know, Dooku," he replied. Two could play that game. But he was really starting to lose his temper. This was only the latest of a series of pointless check-ups Dooku had done since he arrived, which was causing Grievous's nerves--and patience--to fray.  
_"You should just be careful, Grievous,"_ Dooku scowled. _"I have a very bad feeling about this place. And for some reason, it's connected directly to you."_  
"What? I'll get mauled by an animal?" Grievous retorted. "Devoured by some rouge plant? That's about all that can happen here, Dooku. Now go take care of some matters in your precious Confederacy, or something."  
Dooku didn't answer, but neither did he shut down the link. Grievous gave a small growl of annoyance. He, the great General Grievous, supreme commander of the vast droid armies of the Confederacy and slayer of tens of Jedi, was being watched like a child. It was absurd and insulting. Ignoring the link with great effort, he continued picking his way to a giant rock that had caught his attention.

******************************************************************

After a half hour of walking, he tripped and tangled his foot in something. It was nearly impossible to tell what that "something" was in the waist-high plants, though. After a couple of minutes of cursing and disentangling, Grievous held up the mysterious object.  
_"Grievous? What's going on? Answer me!"_  
Grievous had forgotten about the link. He jumped at the unexpected noise and tripped over another object. Muttering darkly under his breath, he found it and picked it up.  
"You may have been closer to the truth with that sentient being remark than you thought," he smirked. Held in his right hand was a net made of plant material and weighted with rocks. The second item was a crude spear carved out of some local wood and topped with a jagged rock. Both were primitive weapons and had suffered serious fire damage: almost immediately they started crumbling to ash.  
_"What do you mean?"_ Demanded Dooku.  
"I just found some primitive weapons. They've been almost completely destroyed in a fire."  
_"Alright, Grievous, you've gone far enough. Come back to the outpost, now."_  
"Is the Republic attacking? Any assassins hunting you or me down?"  
_"No, but-"_  
"Then I have no reason to return right now. I'm just going to check out a rock. You can see it from the outpost with a pair of binoculars. Or is that too far for you, Papa?"  
Grievous could just imagine Dooku glowering at the insult. _"There's no reason to get snippy, Grievous."_  
He snorted and walked on.

******************************************************************

Grievous knew something was wrong when he stepped into the area of shorter plants. He tore some up to look at the dirt clumped around the roots. It was much darker than the soil elsewhere, full of nutrients.  
_Why just in this area, though?_ He thought. He looked around for anything that could shed some light on the situation. He spotted a black skull. It looked solid enough, but it disintegrated into black dust with only slight pressure from his fingers.  
No, not dust--ash.  
There had just recently been a fire here. But if the weapons he found earlier meant anything, then any sentients that lived here would have been unable to control a fire this large. It should have spread to cover miles of these plains.  
So why just this small area?  
Grievous then noticed the circle of rocks. They were situated in the middle of the area and were obviously put there by beings that were at least partially sentient. Looking around, Grievous could pick out charred skeletons, blackened animal bones that had been fashioned into tools, the pitiful remains of a few shelters. He was standing in the middle of a village, or at least what was once a village.  
Despite the heat, Grievous could feel a chill run through his remaining organs. He had the feeling this fire was no accident. Still slightly shivering, he instinctively drew his cloak closer around him and hurried out of the deathsite.

******************************************************************

When he finally arrived, Grievous could only stand and stare in awe. The rock was more like a small mountain. It reared over the savanna like a huge plant-covered monolith, its features worn from centuries of erosion. Grievous felt like an insect compared to it. A huge cave loomed at its base, like a mouth ready to swallow him for a snack.  
Grievous looked rather reluctantly into the darkness. Another unnatural chill swept through him, and he was getting a paranoia-inducing feeling of being watched. He thought he could almost hear a low, breezy sound almost like the breathing of some beast. Deciding he could return tomorrow with proper lighting, he turned to head back to the outpost.  
_COME._  
He stopped, then slowly turned back to face the cave. He thought he felt something--slightly like a thought, but more like an inexplicable feeling that there was something in there that he just this one chance of seeing. But even as he started climbing up to the entrance, a small part of his mind started to rebel. Why was he doing this? In a best case scenario, all he would find would be an unusual rock formation; at worst, he could fall down some bottomless pit in the dark. With that logic, he turned to climb back down.  
_COME._  
Again he stopped. His curiosity was thoroughly perked, but his doubt was increasing as well. What could be in there that he wanted to see so much? How did he even know there was anything in there at all?  
_COME._  
He had once again started climbing. He stopped with great effort. Something was seriously wrong. He wanted, no, _needed_ to see what was in there, but the logical part of his mind was demanding that he leave and never come back. He stood there indecisively, quivering with conflicting emotions.  
_COME!_  
He suddenly found himself almost flying into the cave. He tore through the absolute darkness, tripping over stalagmites, running into stalactites, falling into pools of freezing water. Still he continued as if he was chasing after his greatest desire--but he had no idea what that desire was.  
It took him a while to realize he had somehow been climbing upward the whole time. He turned a corner and was struck by a light that was dazzling after the seemingly endless night. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that it flowed from some source through a vertical shaft. With barely a pause, he started scrambling up.  
His head popped out into blinding sunlight. He waited impatiently until star bursts quit going of in his field of vision, then tried to take another look around.  
He was in a vast cavern at the peak of the rock. A huge hole in one of the walls was letting in the light. Unlike in the rest of the cave, the only evidence that there were stalagmites in here was huge table-like bases. The ceiling mirrored the floor, except that tiny and short stalactites have been left hanging. In the middle of the cavern loomed a huge rock formation, looking not unlike a giant sleeping creature. And surrounding the formation was heaps upon heaps of--. Grievous gasped in shock.  
_"What? What is it? Grievous, answer me, what's going on?"_ Dooku still had not shut down the commlink.  
Grievous was having much trouble registering what he was seeing. He finally managed to work out one word: "Gold."  
_"What?!"_  
"Gold."  
A kingdom's fortune spread almost like an ocean, covering half of the cavern floor. It was mostly made of coins, but there were many pieces of jewelery, archaic weapons and suits of armor, and statues made of gold and other precious metals and studded with every precious stone in known existence. There were tapestries made of shining threads that looked as if they were woven yesterday. Scattered across the cavern were books with jewels embedded in leather covers and scrolls kept in tight rolls with metal twine. Crowns and tiaras mingled with instruments of various highly polished woods. Vases, cups and bowls were all filled to the brim with uncut stones. Thrones and chairs were covered with all manner of beautifully woven shawls and gowns.  
Grievous shuffled over the hills of treasure in a trance-like state, gazing all around him. He climbed the formation in the center to get a good view of the entire room. The treasure amounted to probably hundreds of trillions of credits, and it was doubtful that it wasn't worth more.  
Dooku's impatient voice jarred Grievous back to reality. _"Grievous, what are you doing?! What gold are you talking about? Answer me, Grievous!"_  
Grievous started trying to explaining what he was still having trouble accepting. "There's a massive treasure up here."  
_"How could there be anything valuable on this Force-forsaken planet?"_  
"I don't know, but it's here. There's all kinds of jewelery and statues and-"  
_YOU CAME._  
Grievous stiffened and immediately fell silent. He could feel a sensation like something boring into his back.  
_"Grievous? Is something wrong? Grievous? Grievous!"_  
Grievous couldn't hear him. His warrior instincts were screaming that there was something hostile right behind him. He readied himself, then whirled around, his hands reaching for his lightsabers, ready to do battle with this unknown foe. He was halfway through drawing his sabers when he suddenly couldn't move. He stood paralyzed as a wave of unnatural terror and dread crashed over him.  
_"Grievous! Grievous, what's going on ?! Grievous! Grievous!"_  
Grievous couldn't answer. He couldn't even move. He just stood there, staring in dumb horror.  
The formation he was standing on was actually a living, breathing creature. And it was staring directly at him.

**A/N: **Personally, I think this chapter may be a bit rushed. :/ But what I think isn't important it's what you think. Review and critique, please. Flames will be used to make s'mores.


	2. The Curse

**A/N:** OK, so we've met the creature…but what is it, you may ask? Well, just read on and find out.

**Disclaimer:** General Grievous and Star Wars belongs to George Lucas (damn). The creature belongs to me.

The Curse

For a full five seconds, Grievous stood staring into the eye of the creature. It then blinked, and with a quiver of its muscle, shook him off as if he was no more than a gnat.  
As soon as Grievous hit the coins below he started scrabbling madly backwards, trying to escape as the creature lifted its massive head. However, he was once again paralyzed as it fixed him with an almost lazy stare with one blazing eye.  
He could only sit and watch as the creature fully woke itself from its slumber. A huge yawn revealed yellow fangs several feet long and a serpentine tongue that could wrap several times around an AT-TE. Each facial movement brought a dry rustle from groups of long ebony-colored spikes sprouting from the behind its jaw. Above the fiery eyes two large brows lay studded with hornlets the size of human heads. The brows supported two black horns that matched the head in length. At the base of the skull a row of sharp black plates ran down the thick neck and along its spine to its tail, which sported a spike three times as long as Grievous. Its sandstone-colored legs rippled with raw muscles, and the fingers ended in claws that could tear apart the hull of a star destroyer. The tips of its stretched out wings nearly touched the opposite walls of the cavern. Two giant claws topped the joints that connected the wings' supporting fingers.  
It was obviously designed for killing--its frame bulged with muscle, yet a certain, almost feline grace marked its movements. It was both horrendous and awe-inspiring. Even though Grievous felt like he was going to have a heart-attack any second, he couldn't help but admire the hunter before him.  
He suddenly felt a highly uncomfortable pressure, like something was squeezing his brain very tightly. He saw images--memories of his life, sensations he had felt, hatreds and desires. He was suddenly recalling information about the galaxy, the Republic, the Confederacy, everything at such a fast pace he was getting nauseated. He realized then that there was some other presence he had never felt before, flowing like an undercurrent through his memories. It felt like some pool or river filled with a transparent red substance, like water but at the same time like fire. He envisioned himself reaching out and touching the substance--and he made contact with the presence.  
He was immediately assaulted by an avalanche of feelings, images, thoughts. The presence was so vast, so ancient, so _alien_. The information was incomprehensible, there was too much too fast, it seemed to be invading his mind, drowning out who he was, erasing his very identity, he was going mad--.  
Almost a second after they connected--almost an eternity to Grievous--the presence retreated. With a gasp of relief and exhaustion, he collapsed onto the treasure. He lay there, shaking uncontrollably, his mind a merciful blank.  
_THE SUBJECT CAN ESTABLISH CONTACT. INTERESTING._  
Grievous's eyes snapped open at the thought. They quickly glanced around the cavern before resting on the thing that was still staring at him.  
It couldn't be possible, but it was. The presence he felt was the creature. The fact that the creature regarded him as a _subject_--something so inferior that it wasn't even worth the effort of blocking thoughts from or talking directly to--chilled his blood.  
Once again information about the galaxy started running through his head at a dizzying pace. For some reason, the creature wanted all of this. Grievous almost instinctively resisted, trying to cover the information with irrelevant thoughts.  
This time it was the creature who initiated the contact. Again his mind was overwhelmed by images, sounds, smells, feelings, thoughts. But these were different. They were memories the creature had hand-picked and was now forcing Grievous to experience with startling clarity.  
He saw animals and primitive people being incinerated to ashes, smelled the awful stench of burning flesh, heard the screams of multitudes of peoples as they fell before the creature's onslaught, felt the searing heat of the flames that engulfed everything in their path. Grievous writhed and screamed as he witnessed the extinctions of hundreds of races and animals. What was worse was the awful feeling of pure pleasure the creature had felt during these rampages.  
By the time the creature retreated, Grievous was thoroughly broken. He lay there shivering as the creature gleaned all the information it wanted out of his mind. The pressure then moved from his brain to his other organs. He went into a coughing fit as the presence squeezed his lungs, his stomach, and his heart. The pressure was finally lifted, but he could hear screechy groans as his durasteel body moved itself into positions it was barely suited for.  
_THIS BODY IS STRONG. EVEN THE ORGANIC PARTS ARE RESILIENT AND EASILY REPAIRABLE.  
Well I'm glad someone's happy,_ Grievous couldn't help but think sarcastically. He quivered as the creature squeezed his mind again.  
He lay there after the pressure was lifted, fearful of what the creature had in mind for him. He could swear that it was getting hotter in here. Almost on a whim he looked down and saw that his frame was glowing cherry red. He panicked as he realized that the heat was coming from the frame reaching melting point. The preservatives keeping his organs alive were flammable!  
Suddenly extreme pain wracked through his organs and pierced his brain. It felt as if his very atoms were being pulled apart. He rolled on the ground while screaming at the top of his voice projector. He could dimly hear the creature as it thought to itself.  
_THE SOUL WILL BE ELIMINATED AFTER THE TRANSFORMATION IS COMPLETE. AND THEN THAT BODY WILL BE MINE._  
With a burst of panic-induced energy, Grievous leaped up and ran to the hole in the wall.  
_NO!_  
The creature was swift, but it was a fraction too slow. Its claws only grabbed air and rock as Grievous flung himself into the unyielding space outside.

**A/N:** And with that cliffhanger, I leave you until the next chapter. As always, I am interested to hear what you think, so review and critique, please. Flames will be used to make s'mores.


	3. Escape

**A/N:** Last time, on AIHB, we left Grievous hanging in mid-air for his dear life! Let's find out what happens next!

**Disclaimer: **General Grievous and Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. The creature is mine.

Escape

For a second that seemed like an eternity, Grievous hung in the air, grasping futilely at nothing for a handhold. Then gravity kicked in.  
It suddenly dawned on him how high up the cavern actually was. The longer he fell, the slower time seemed to get. He found himself reflecting on his situation. His organs, though they still felt like they were going to catch fire any minute, seemed to have cooled down somewhat...and his frame didn't seem to be glowing so brightly....  
All of a sudden, a familiar presence was engulfing his mind. It pressed on his consciousness as if it was trying to snuff it out. He could feel the anger of the creature and its fear-aura washing over him like a tidal wave.  
_YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE! YOUR BODY IS MINE!_  
His organs once again grew hotter. He could almost feel his frame start to soften. He felt as if he was choking on sheer panic. His consciousness, still overwhelmed by the creature's presence, seemed to shut down.  
It was pure instinct that sent his limbs wind-milling when he finally hit the ground. He took off like a speeder bike, where he didn't care, as long as it was away from the rock and that creature. Seemingly by pure chance, he stumbled onto the ring of rocks that was once the fire pit of a now decimated village. He somersaulted twice before scrambling back up and charging off again. It only dimly registered that his frame was hardening and turning back to its brownish-gray hue, and the pressure from the creature's mind was slowly lifting.  
He continued running as if he was being chased by death. Gradually a new sound could be heard by the general. It was as if something metallic was hitting the ground, like his own pounding footsteps but at a much slower pace.  
He only stopped when he collided into Count Dooku. But at that point Grievous wouldn't have cared if he ran into the entire Jedi council of Masters and a hundred Republic clone troopers. It was safety from something even more dangerous and horrifying.

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A flaming pair of far-seeing orbs watched the cyborg run into the distance. Scaly lips parted into a toothy snarl as a deep growl of disappointment issued from a serpentine throat. The creature laid there on its hoard, contemplating whether or not it should pursue the retreating figure and risk a confrontation with the bizarre insect-like things it had brought along. The creature wasn't a coward; but if there was one thing the centuries had taught it, it was this: the hunter that didn't know its prey starved, while the hunter that took the time to learn its prey's strengths and weaknesses was richly rewarded in the end. It intended to be the latter.  
Out of an old habit, it absent-mindfully roved one eye over its beloved treasure, checking to see that everything was in its place. It took a double-take when it spotted a space where one item should be. The snarl in its features reversed into a cruel smile. There was no need to leave after all. That thing could be on the other side of the planet, farther even, and the creature would still be able to reach it. The increasing distance would tire out the creature more quickly, however. But it had waited for almost a millennium for a chance like this. And that chance was not fading like the shrinking figure that was to be its new body.  
Its chest vibrated with a strange growl that was its version of a chuckle. Then it settled back onto its trillion credits' worth of plunder and began building up its energy reserves.

**A/N:** It should probably be painfully obvious to you what the creature is by now, but I'm just going to keep calling it "The Creature" because the closest equivalent Grievous knows of is the relatively stupid animal on Tantooine. Review and critique, please! ^^ Flames will be used to make s'mores.


	4. Off to a Fiery Start

**A/N:** The first few chapters have already been written and posted on Deviantart, which explains why I'm chucking them out so fast. After the fifth chapter, however, publishing is gonna slow waaaaaaayyy down.

**Disclaimer: **The only way I'll ever own Star Wars is if I buy it off George Lucas. Do you think he'll take it for $25.76? Oh, and the creature is mine.

Off to a Fiery Start

Back at the outpost, Dooku strode to the makeshift med bay. He had just finished making his report to Darth Sidious, and he was now carrying out his master's latest orders. As much as he despised Grievous, he was a necessary evil. If they lost the general, they lost the war.  
He felt an involuntary shudder run down his spine as he remembered the events of the past few hours. When he lost contact with Grievous, he immediately sent out orders for a search and, possibly, rescue. Grievous, though haughty and disrespectful during their conversation, was right about one thing: the rock he said he was heading for was indeed visible from the outpost. It certainly narrowed down the search area.  
With a platoon of battle droids he set out for the lone monolith. They were only about halfway there when they ran into Grievous--or rather, Grievous ran into them.  
Dooku remembered getting into a crouching position cursing, ready to berate Grievous for the daring stunt. Then he saw Grievous on all fours, like an animal about to bolt. Dooku, however, was most enraptured with the Kaleesh's eyes. They were open as wide as they could go, and the pupils had become near pinpricks. They almost flashed with a mad light as they rolled everywhere, trying to keep all the droids in sight. Curiously, Dooku stretched out with the Force to examine Grievous's feelings--and then visibly and mentally flinched at the seeming ocean of panic that was roaring in his mind. Even now, snatches of fearful thoughts flickered across his subconscious:  
_I have to get away! It's going to kill me! Someone help me!!_  
Dooku reached Grievous's quarters-turned-med bay. The general was in a portable medical capsule. He was still unconscious from the blow Dooku had to give him to get him under control. He quickly glanced over the readings on the capsule's screen. For some reason, his body temperature was slightly higher than normal. His brain activity was still on the subconscious level. Other than that, everything was fine.  
Dooku cautiously stretched out with the Force to examine his mind again. He winced as the panic surged through his thoughts once more. It was muted now, but still....  
Suddenly, he felt a surge of something other than mindless panic. Grievous was slowly gaining consciousness again.  
Dooku expected him to move, make a sound, something to get his bearings. But if it wasn't for the capsule's readings and Dooku's own analysis, he would have thought Grievous was still out cold.  
He opened the capsule and leaned in to get a closer look. If one didn't know better, one would of assumed he was dead...his eyes were making practically no movement under their lids....  
The Force suddenly surged the exact instant Grievous's eyes snapped open. Had it not been for the warning and Dooku's Force-enhanced reflexes, his face would have been mauled by swinging robotic claws. He quickly leaped back as Grievous flipped out of the capsule and onto his feet, ready to dash out the door.  
Realizing this, Dooku quickly stepped between the general and his target. "Grievous," he said slowly, "Calm down. You're safe now. Whatever was chasing you is gone." He took a step to the side to dissuade Grievous from running. "Just relax. You don't have to run now."  
Recognition slowly brightened the fear-darkened eyes. Grievous sank down until he was sitting on the edge of the capsule, as if his legs couldn't support him. He looked around himself like a child seeing a palace for the first time. Dooku chanced another glimpse into his mind. Grievous suddenly flinched and jumped away from him. Though quite surprised, Dooku hid it with a questioning eyebrow. "What was that about?"  
Grievous coughed with embarrassment. "I...it was nothing...I just...thought it was something else." He shifted, reluctant to reveal any more.  
_Well, at least he can still talk._ Dooku thought. "What happened? You were talking about finding something and then you just stopped. Then the link got terminated." He looked at Grievous thoughtfully. When he didn't answer, Dooku continued. "Was it Republic forces?"  
"No."  
"Hm. Well, I don't see how it can be anything else. Were you jumped by space pirates?" _Though I doubt that's the answer._  
"No."  
"Angry locals?"  
"No."  
"Some kind of local fauna?"  
"I...I don't know, really...it might of been...."  
"What, you mean to tell me that you were nearly scared to death by some kind of giant lizard or something?" When he got no response, Dooku snorted with contempt. "How pathetic. The great General Grievous, scared witless by a reptile-_urk!_  
He suddenly found himself with a ringing headache, struggling to breathe as Grievous banged him against the wall and slowly tightened his grip on his neck. The mad light was shining in his eyes again. "You weren't there," he said in a dangerously low voice. "You didn't feel that...that..._thing_ try to tear your mind apart like a piece of meat. You didn't see the things it showed me. You didn't hear it laugh..._laugh_...as it saw me nearly go completely mad back there. It didn't care that I control an army that spans the entire galaxy. I could actually feel the Force back there, Dooku, for the first time, and the thing that almost stole my body could snuff you out in a second! So don't go sniffing at me, because that _giant lizard_ nearly caused the Republic to win this war!"  
He finally let go of Dooku. He slid down the wall, gulping down giant breaths of air. He could also feel a sensation like an icy claw gripping his heart. Fear. If what Grievous was saying was true, then they were both in very grave danger.  
He got on his feet and nervously cleared his throat. "I believe the time has come to move to a new location."  
Grievous's voice held a scathing tone a sarcasm. "Oh yes, wise Count. Shall I start wrapping the art figur--" He suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in fear. Dooku felt a disturbance in the Force centering around Grievous. But it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was stronger, yet more primal.  
Grievous, meanwhile, grabbed his head. "What are you doing!? Get out of my head!!" He screamed. He started spasming and grabbing his chest. A single unending scream of agony tore from his voice box. Dooku backed away in horror. The scream degenerated into a fit of dry hacking coughs. Still Grievous was clawing at his chest like he was trying to dig something out. Something wispy seemed to be coming out of the grills that projected the sounds from the voice box. He was able to take a single, strangled breath before the coughing took over. But with each hack of his lungs a burst of fire erupted from the slits.  
Battle droids, sensing that something was happening to their general, stormed in to protect him from the unknown danger. Grievous turned to the direction of the disturbance, still coughing fire. Those droids that were caught in the stream melted in seconds. Dooku was forced to retreat from the rapidly heating room as fast as possible.  
After a few minutes, a deathly quiet fell over the outpost. Dooku waited some more before cautiously walking back in. The walls had softened to the point where the ceiling could collapse at any minute. The floor had become a shallow pool of melted steel. Droid parts that escaped the blasts lay sparking around the crouching figure of Grievous. Miraculously, he seemed untouched by the fire he was belching a mere ten minutes ago. He was breathing heavily, but the coughing had subsided, as well as the flames.  
"What happened?" Dooku finally ventured to ask.  
The reply he got was less than reassuring. "I...I don't know."

**A/N: **And so it begins….

Review and critique, please. Any and all flames will be used to make s'mores.


	5. Sweet Nightmares

**A/N: **Ok, this is the last chapter you'll be getting in more than an hour. The next chapter is almost finished, I just have to get the laptop it's on fixed. --_--; You know it's funny; I honestly though that Nagas the Patriot was a canon character, which is the only reason why he's in here in the first place. But apparently he was actually created by another writer on this site, Heimchen. Oops. ^^;

**Disclaimer: **The dream belongs to the creature who belongs to me, and Nagas the Patriot belongs to Heimchen. Would it be possible to inherit Star Wars if I could prove George Lucas was my father?

Sweet Nightmares

What with half of the ground force reduced to a puddle of molten metal, packing up and returning to the ship was considerably easier and less time-consuming. Grievous was restricted to his personal quarters while Dooku called the Geonosians. Unfortunately, it would be a standard week before a team of scientists could arrive to analyze and diagnose the "development."  
It boiled down to a waiting game--at least, in Grievous's opinion. He felt the creature's mind contacting his while he was suffering that "attack." He heard clearly the cruel laughter as it entertained itself with trying to tear him apart, body from soul. He attempted once more to distract himself with busy work; once more, his efforts were in vain.  
Growling in frustration, he slammed the datapad onto the table. A long sigh escaped his throat. Halfway through it turned into a small coughing fit. Small sparks and flames leaped out of the grills. Though not as serious as the first time, the heat and smoke irritated his throat, sometimes prolonging the fit. What he needed was something relaxing. Meditation. If that didn't work, he could always do some training--if he didn't accidentally torch his opponent in the process.  
He retreated into his "bedroom"--though it could hardly be called that. The only objects in here were a mat and a small brazier with a matching jar. Settling himself onto the mat, Grievous took a stick of incense out of the jar and placed it into the brazier. As the smoke of the lit spice stick gradually filled the room, he closed his eyes and slowed down his breathing, attempting to empty his mind of all thought. He could almost see the jumble of thoughts in his mind organize themselves and retreat to the recesses of his consciousness. The tight knot of tension in his chest gently untangled itself. He sank lower and lower into the bliss he had found at last. Soon, he was in a deeper level of meditation than he thought even existed....

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_He was dashing around piles of debris in some city on a planet whose name he could not quite recall. His droids had successfully broken down the defenses the Republic had placed. They were now swarming the city, searching for any remaining clone troopers to eliminate. He couldn't quite remember why they were taking this planet, but it had to have important value if they put up this much resistance. It didn't matter, though. Not now, and probably never again after the Separatist Council started whatever they were going to do here, unless the Republic somehow took it back.  
It didn't matter now. Grievous was hunting.  
As he maneuvered around collapsed walls and demolished vehicles, he kept his senses at their highest capacity. He was looking for a flash of brown robes, a sound of footsteps, breathing, or maybe even a certain deadly weapon being activated.  
Grievous, just a few hours ago the Supreme Commander of the Separatist Army. Now a hunter of Jedi.  
He came to a stop in a clearing devoid of rubble. He froze. Were it not for the slow movements of his head, he would of looked like nothing more than an extremely lucky statue. He intently searched the area, senses alert to the slightest warning of another being's presence.  
There--! He turned his head so fast it seemed a blur. A small rock clacking as it tumbled down one of the buildings to the left. That was all. But it was all he needed.  
Slowly, with silent measured steps, he stalked to the building he targeted. It seemed to be nothing at all. But he knew better. It was the Jedi, all right. Any clones would of attacked by now, attempting to take him by surprise. He scanned the edges of the walls closest to him. If this is what he thought it was....  
It was. Had he a mouth, he would be hard put not to visibly smirk. All business buildings had multiple exits at the ground level. All he needed to do was find one that was unblocked, and then he would be the one laying the ambush.  
He turned and leisurely climbed over another pile as if leaving to search elsewhere. As soon as the intended floor was out of sight, however, he quickly ran in a large arc to the relatively undamaged side of the building. Using his lightsabers to cut some doors open, he gently placed them on the floor so as not to alert his prey. Like a shadow, he sneaked up the emergency stairs until he came to the right floor. He could now clearly hear them. The fools thought they were safe enough to let their guards down. A fatal mistake.  
Judging from the voices, there were four of them. Three males, one female. One male and the female had the deeper voices of adults, another of the males was probably adolescent, the third barely in his teens. Two Jedi and their padawans. He quietly huffed in disappointment. He had hoped for a better challenge.  
The door to the room in which they were hidden was blasted off in the battle. As he stepped through the doorway, one of the padawans noticed him step out of the shadows.  
"Master...."he warned, his voice thick with fear. The two Jedi spun around, activating their lightsabers, and placed themselves in front of their students.  
He gave a low sinister chuckle as he drew two sabers of his own. How noble. As if the padawans had any chance of escape. He lowered himself into attack position. Even if this was going to be brief, he might as well enjoy it as much as he can.  
Grievous was a hunter of Jedi. But he never got to make the kill.  
The building suddenly rocked as an explosion went off almost at its foundations. Jedi and cyborg were thrown off their feet and out of the building. They landed in total chaos.  
People were running everywhere. But they were all civilians. Shouldn't of they been evacuated before the battle? And where were all his droids? He looked around in confusion. He looked for the Jedi, but in their places were charred skeletons. Fires were raging everywhere. The sky was thick with choking smoke. It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. Screams of pain and fear rent the air. He scrambled to his feet and was continuously knocked every which way by the masses. He started running in a random direction and soon encountered bare ground.  
He was no longer in a city; he was on a burning plain surrounded by the blazing huts of a large village. Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over him, chilling him to the core despite the sweltering heat. An all-too-familiar roar drowned out the screams of the dying. Apprehensively he looked up.  
Straight into the eyes of the creature.  
It seemed even larger than he remembered. Its huge wings created blasts of oven-hot air with every flap. The scales on its underside almost glowed in the flickering light. The shadows that draped over the top of its head brought into stark contrast its eyes, which blazed as brightly as the flames erupting from its maw.  
He slowly sank to his knees. He wanted so much to run, to get away from this hell, but he was almost completely paralyzed. He could only kneel there shuddering as the presence that was the creature's mind engulfed his own.  
Mentally, he started struggling. The creature just floated there, watching his futile attempts with unconcealed amusement. Soon, he realized that there was...something flowing around the creature. It was there, he could see it, but at the same time it wasn't there. There were more invisible "rivers" flowing everywhere. There was even one connecting him to the creature.  
The "rivers" closest to the creature started moving into a large pile in front of it. They suddenly flowed down the connecting "river" straight to him. There was no way to stop it, no way to avoid it. He could physically and mentally feel them as they collided into him. A searing pain ran through his organs and up into his brain. He screamed in agony as he felt a sensation like his organs tearing themselves apart at the cellular level.  
The "rivers" shifted again and shaped into a claw that ran through his body. As they withdrew, he could feel his soul being torn away from his body. All sounds dimmed to nothing, save his own screaming and the hideous roar of laughter emanating from the throat of the creature. And his name. Someone was calling his name.  
Grievous! Grievous! Grievous!!_  
"GRIEVOUS!!!"  
His eyes snapped open. His screaming died into a strangled gasp. He was on his back, staring into the face of Count Dooku.  
"Wha-what? Where--?" He looked around, panting and completely confused. The hunt, the creature, the rivers...it was all just a dream?  
Dooku, meanwhile, had a look of puzzlement on his face. "What were you doing? Look at your room, you nearly tore it apart."  
Grievous looked around his room. The brazier and jar were knocked over, spilling sand and incense everywhere. The mat was torn to pieces, and there were deep claw marks where he had raked his fingers across the floor.  
"I...I just had a dream...that's all...."  
Dooku raised one eyebrow cynically. Grievous didn't need to sleep. And it was impossible to dream while meditating. "About what, exactly?"  
Grievous looked away shamefully. "It's nothing."  
"Grievous, if this is connected to your--the events of the past few days, I should know. Sidious should know. Now what was it-"  
"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!"  
Dooku took a startled step back. Grievous sat there glaring at him for a second. Then he abruptly stood up and pushed past Dooku without saying another word.  
He stepped out into the hall and started walking to the elevator for some training with his Magnaguards. Halfway there, though, he paused as a tremor of chilly fear ran through his organs. A presence lightly pressed against his mind, leaving only a growl-like chuckle and a sinister message.  
_SWEET DREAMS, GRIEVOUS._

**A/N:** Aww, how sweet and…disturbing…. ; Heimchen, if you ever read this and want Nagas taken out, just ask and I'll do it. Read and critique, please (geez, I'm starting to sound like a parrot XD). Do you want s'mores? No? Then no flames please. ^^


	6. The Doctors

**A/N: I've had this chapter up for a while on Deviantart for a while now, and I just now remembered this one when I was about to publish the chapter after this one. This I feel is a really important chapter, so I can probably imagine the confusion on your guy's part. ^^;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or General Grievous, though having the latter would be awesome. :D**

The Doctors' Visit

As the week wore on, Grievous withdrew further into himself. He buried himself in planet and species info and battle plans, lashing out severely at anyone and anything that dared disturb him. He spent hours in front of screens, memorizing geographies, learning weaknesses. This forced study was broken only by sessions of intense training with his Magnaguards, sessions which more often than not ended with the guard heading to repair bay.  
Even Dooku kept his distance. He tried to put as much time between their training sessions as possible without looking weak to his student, and communicated via commlink unless absolutely necessary. Yet even with all the time he spent trying to stay out of Grievous's way, he couldn't help the hear the occasional near-primal screams that emanated from the general's quarters.  
At last the Geonosians arrived. Grievous and Dooku were both there to personally meet them as their ship slowly touched down in the hangar. The first down the ramp was Nagas the Patriot, the one who made Grievous's survival as a cyborg possible. His eyes widened in shock as he saw Grievous's haggard and partially glazed eyes. A sudden spark-laden cough sent him into a tittering panic.  
"Why didn't you mention this in your message!?" He demanded Dooku.  
"You wouldn't of believed me if I did," The count answered with a frown. "you can fix him, can't you?"  
"We won't know until we actually look. Hopefully whatever it is hasn't damaged the general too much."  
"You do realize that the general is standing right next to you?"  
Both Dooku and Nagas turned to look at Grievous as if noticing him for the first time. With a small sheepish cough, Nagas turned to help his team unload their equipment, leaving Dooku standing in an increasingly awkward silence with a sullenly glaring Grievous.

******************************************************************

When the last of the Geonosians' equipment had been transported to Grievous's chambers, they started preparing for examination. The Geonosians had been decontaminated and Grievous washed down. He settled into the chair and began to zone out as they opened up his chest armor. Dooku, not having gone through the same cleaning measures, watched from the a safe distance.  
With the armor out of the way, they had a clear view of the synthskin sac that held his remaining organs. They stood in shocked silence, then started chattering among themselves in hushed voices. Dooku tried to see what had gotten them so worked up, but they kept shuffling around and getting in the way. Finally he lost his patience and strode forward. Nagas got in his way to try t keep the count from getting too close, but he was pushed aside. When he could finally see, Dooku stared in surprise. He had seen Grievous's organs before. His heart and lungs were still there, beating regularly. His liver and others were there as well. But there was something else in there.  
A long, black sack-like object bulged out from between and in front of his lungs. At the top the sack narrowed into a pipe that ran upwards to his head, hiding his esophagus. It looked partially deflated now, but if full it would probably stretch out the synthskin covering it. This was definitely not what Dooku was expecting to see. He looked for a few more seconds, then stepped back to make room for the Geonosians.  
Despite the unusual circumstances, they got to work with the speed and efficiency of years of practice. After getting a sonar image of the sack, they carefully opened the synthskin with short, precise cuts. With various implements they got samples of the synthskin with short, precise cuts. With various implements they got samples of the sack itself and the gases and liquids that were inside. Then it was just patching up the skin, and they closed up the armor. Physically Grievous was good to go. However, he just sat there, staring at nothing. Unconcerned, The Geonosians went to study their samples, giving him no further thought.

******************************************************************

As the doors to the guest quarters opened for Nagas, before he even spoke, Dooku knew he was the bearer of bad news. After pouring some drink for himself and the Patriot, he settled into one of the chairs and waited patiently for him to begin.  
Nags took the other glass and sat opposite of him across the table. "Six hours we studied the specimens taken from the that...sack. We ran the tests three times, and the results were the same." He was clearly agitated.  
"And what were the results?" Dooku finally asked.  
"Well, we now know that it isn't just any ordinary sort of...sack. It's a living organ."  
Dooku eyes widened slightly. "But that can't be possible. That episode only lasted a minute at the most; that's certainly not enough for the development of an entirely new organ. Have you figured out its function?"  
Nagas gave a series of small clicks in a combination of frustration and near admiration. "That's the strangest thing. The tests show that the liquid is similar hydrochloric acid, the kind found in most living creatures' stomachs. But it dissolved almost anything we put in it, excluding the organ tissue and our strongest alloys. A series of chemical reactions between the acid and the other items resulted in many kinds of gases. We detected carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen, and methane. However, there was something wrong. The oxygen and hydrogen atoms--they wouldn't bond. They would just literally bounce off each other."  
"How is that even possible?"  
"We aren't sure. There is one thing that puzzles us even more, though. When we tested the acid on rubidium, there were no chemical reactions to be detected. It broke the rubidium down into a gas. We compared it to the gas taken from the organ, and they were the exact same atomically."  
The count frowned in consternation. "Just like that? No liquid stage in between?"  
"None at all. We remembered what you said about the general coughing up flame, so we tried to recreate the effect. We used many hypotheses, but nothing worked, until we used water vapor. The water ignited the rubidium, which in turn set the other gases alight. We still don't know how, but at least we know why the oxygen and hydrogen didn't bond. It would have turned the entire mixture, and Grievous, into a bomb."  
There was a twitch as Dooku envisioned the cyborg spontaneously exploding in the middle of a high council meeting. Nagas, not noticing, continued. "It is all a rather ingenious design. I've never seen anything like this before, either machine or organic. Just imagine, using water to create fire. Can you think of anything more ironic?"  
Dooku couldn't. He just sat there, nursing his drink as he digested this information. "That would explain the sparks, I guess." he then noticed Nagas fidgeting in his seat. "Did you find anything else?"  
Nagas sighed in response. "As we were cleaning up, Grievous started seriously spasming. We were hardly able to get him equipped to the monitoring equipment. He finally calmed down, but when we got the readings later, we were stumped."  
With a sinking feeling of apprehension, Dooku slowly asked, "What kind of readings did you get, exactly?"  
Nagas avoided his eyes for a second, then gave him a steady stare. "We got two different readings, at the exact same time. One of them was obviously Grievous's--extremely agitated, but still recognizable. It was the second reading I'm worried about. If I didn't know better, I would have said They were two completely different consciousnesses. But having two minds in one body is scientifically impossible."  
Scientifically impossible, yes. But completely impossible? Dooku felt a shiver run down his spine. That disturbance he felt when Grievous started belching fire...and there was a flicker--barely noticeable, but still large enough to detect--of another disturbance when Grievous was in the throes of that nightmare. It was too similar not to be the same thing. One question kept running through his mind as he excused Nagas: what was happening to Grievous?

**A/N: Once you read the next chapter, you'll understand one of the reasons why I couldn't leave this one out. Talk about major plothole…or something…. *ahem* Moving on….**


	7. Enter the Jedi

**A/N: So yeah. First I got grounded from the laptop, which was where I was typing this chapter, then the laptop AND the main computer AND the TV all break down at the same time, then Dad takes forever to fix the laptop, and THEN I thought this chapter somehow got deleted and I would have to type the whole thing over again (luckily I found it and was able to finish it instead of start it over). But yeah. At least you guys didn't have to wait as long for this chapter as the people on Deviantart (that's what I feel the worst about).**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Star Wars, Grievous wouldn't have died. But I don't, so he's just a crispy corpse now. Fust.**

Enter the Jedi

After Nagas left to help his subordinates settle in for an extended period of testing, Dooku sat pondering the turn of events. Questions chased each other around his mind, none of them with a seemingly possible answer. In the few times he had talked to Grievous personally, the general had stubbornly refused to let slip any detail about his trip. But the sheer terror rolling off the cyborg when he was charging back to the base, along with those persistent nightmares...for once, Dooku could almost understand the motives behind his silence.

"Something is troubling you, my apprentice." The raspy voice sounded suddenly from the shadows, startling Dooku out of his reverie. He half spun around, hand on his saber hilt, when he realized he was about to attack the hologram of his master, Lord Darth Sidious.

Instead, he quickly lowered himself on one knee and bowed respectfully. "Master. Nagas has just has just given me his report on General Grievous."

"And?"

"There's nothing good. Grievous has apparently grown an entirely new and functional organ in less than a minute. They have also identified the gas inside to be highly flammable."

Sidious was silent for a moment. "There's something else...."

Dooku hesitated before replying. "According to Nagas, there was an...episode during their analysis in which they picked up some unusual brain waves from Grievous. He said that it was almost as if there were _two_ consciousnesses in the same body. And when Grievous was having that...attack on the planet surface, I felt another presence emanating from Grievous...one that felt ancient and powerful in the dark side of the Force."

"You believe there may be another Sith out there?" Dooku nodded. "With possible plans for Grievous?" Another, slower nod. "I can assure you, my apprentice, that if there were any other Sith in the galaxy, I would have felt them far earlier than you would have. Return to your duties, but keep a close eye on Grievous; he is still useful. And find out what happened on that planet."

Dooku nodded once more, but he had one more question. "What if these changes threw Grievous out of our control? What should we do then?"

"Kill him."

Light years away, in a magnificent temple on the planet of Coruscant, a small green alien sat deep in meditation. The wrinkles on his face deepened as he frowned, as if he were seeing something unpleasant. A dark-skinned human male in light brown attire silently entered the room and sank into a cross-legged position, patiently waiting for the alien to speak.

"A disturbance in the Force I feel."

"Is it the Sith?" The human asked.

"No. Older. More powerful."

At this declaration the human's brow creased in puzzlement. "More powerful than even Sidious? Shouldn't we have felt something like that before?"

"Sleeping it has been. Skilled it is at hiding its presence. But other news I have. On the move, the Separatists are."

The human sat up straighter. "Could you find out where?"

"To the Middle Rim they are moving. Where exactly, tell I could not."

The human nodded in respect and thanks before getting up. "Thank you, Master Yoda. I'll tell the generals in the Middle Rim to keep a close eye out. May the Force be with you."

"And you, Master Windu."

As Windu left the room, Yoda settled back down and returned to his meditation. A frown once again creased his forehead as visions of death and destruction flitted through his mind.

Seeing as nothing was physically wrong with him (and that he threatened to kill them and their entire families), the Geonosians gave Grievous the go ahead to continue his campaign. Dooku, after giving very specific instructions to Nagas, left to resume his duties as Supreme Leader. Soon, the Separatist fleet led by the _Invisible Hand_ dropped out of hyperspace over Ubrikkia.

_Finally_, Grievous thought with some relief. _I can move on from this_. It didn't matter that the Republic was there, waiting; it didn't matter that this was a relatively unimportant planet; he was finally doing _something_. The thought of ripping those ships apart, of boarding them, hunting down and massacring those Jedi scum sent a quiver of excitement through his organs.

The massive destroyers slowly closed in on each other as countless specks of fighters flooded out to create a storm of explosions. Bombers attempted to swim through the damage without becoming a part of it, desperately trying to reach the enemy and do some heavy damage. As soon as they were in range, the massive cannons along the sides of the destroyers were brought into play, shattering shields and ripping through hulls.

The Clone Troopers were brave and experienced. But the droids had no fear, no reservations. They did anything and everything they were told, and were easily replaceable.

On Grievous's orders, a smaller battleship went kamikaze and plowed straight into the Republic flagship's engines. The stern half of the port hangars were totally decimated, along with the very last quarter on the starboard side. Crippled and powerless, yet not totally destroyed, the ship was a sitting duck. Exactly what Grievous wanted.

As _The Invisible Hand_ moved closer, nearby bombers and fighters started focusing on any remaining cannons. Grievous hurriedly went to the hangar and his own personal armored transport with a contingent of Magnaguards. Flanked by fighters, the transport reached the wrecked starboard hangars and let out the general. Grievous took one look at the doors leading to the inner hallways, now sealed by the automatic emergency system, and with one fluid motion, pulled out two lightsabers and sliced a large irregular hole to the other side.

There were troopers on the other side, weapons at the ready for the intruders. However, they were not prepared to meet the feared general of the droid army himself. He easily cut down the closest ones, then let his troops finish off the rest as he turned down another hall. The Jedi would be on the bridge, or at least somewhere close by.  
In fact, they were just two halls down from the turbolift. One was a Twi'lek female, the padawan another female, human. Both already had their sabers at the ready. He didn't wait, but charged straight in, spinning his sabers in front of him into two deadly circles of light. They immediately started stepping back to try and put some distance between themselves and the cyborg. As Grievous swiped and lunged, they, swung wildly, desperately trying to keep up and block his attacks. They kept at this for a few minutes, Grievous continuously pushing them back with sheer power and ferocity.  
Then the padawan made a mistake. Spotting what she thought was an opening, she lunged forward to take advantage of the perceived weakness. Immediately Grievous sprung his trap. Twisting at the waist, he brought both lightsabers down, cutting her neatly into three. The Twi'lek froze, horror twisting her face as what used to be her padawan fell to the floor. Grievous slowly stalked forward, his eyes blazing with hatred and lust for blood.  
Both then simultaneously tensed as they felt a heavy presence, one all too familiar to the general. "No...." He clutched his head and started shaking it. "Leave me alone!"  
_YOU CANNOT ESCAPE ME, GRIEVOUS._ Again that flood of fear and despair washed over him.  
_This can't be happening. Not now!_ But he could do nothing. This was no dream.  
He glanced at the Jedi and saw the she, too, could feel the creature. Then he screamed as an overwhelming pain rushed through his nerves. His brain felt like it was being melted and pulled apart, and he was sure his eyes were going to explode from the heat. He could hear the metal of his head screech as it was impossibly twisted and stretched.  
Finally, the metal cooled. His nerves were still shrieking, but the worst of it was over. The creature's presence left more suddenly than it had previously. He collapsed onto his knees. The only thing he could do at the moment was hold himself up on his hands and breathe heavily as his frame shuddered and twitched and his organs flipped around each other.  
After a few more long minutes, he managed to get up and started to stagger back to his transport. The Jedi was too stunned to try and stop him. She instead slowly sunk to her knees beside the body of her padawan, shaken by the display of dark power from some unknown source.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The creature awoke with a snort, followed by heavy breathing. Grievous was going much farther than it has anticipated. It was becoming steadily more exhausting to maintain contact. As long as the object was on Grievous, the creature would always know where the cyborg was, but contacting him was an entirely different thing altogether.  
But the creature was determined, even stubborn. It got what it wanted, no matter what. For now, it just had to be patient and save its energy.  
With that mental assurance, it curled into a more comfortable position and started to meditate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the Jedi Temple, the Council listened as the Twi'lek Jedi told of what she had seen during the battle over Ubrikkia. She was visibly shaking, and her voice kept breaking.  
When she was done, Mace Windu nodded. "Thank you, Pala. Go get some rest. You need it."  
"Thank you, Master Windu." She nodded and cut the transmission.  
With a deep breath, Windu folded his hands in front of his face and looked around the room. "Well, this is something we have no precedent for. What do you think? Some new technology the Separatists came up with?"  
"I'm not so sure," Obi-wan Kenobi said, absentmindedly stroking his beard. "This doesn't really sound like something even the Geonosians are close to achieving. And what about what Pala felt during the incident? This seems more like something to do with the Force than any super-advanced technology."  
"But not even Master Yoda can twist metal like what she described," Kit Fisto encountered, then humbly turned to the small alien. "No offense intended, Master."  
Yoda nodded. "None taken." He then closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. "Another disturbance, I felt. Close to the time of Grievous's attack, it was. Comes it does from the same source."  
"But the idea that there is something even more powerful that the Sith just lying around without us knowing is absurd," Windu said.  
"Locate Sidious, we cannot," Yoda reminded him. "Still very much we must learn about the Force." He turned to the rest of the council. "Keep a close eye on Grievous, we should. Grave danger for the Republic there might be."

**A/N: I don't really think I'll be able to have the next chapter up any time soon. My mind seems to have recently been invaded by G. I. Joe.**


	8. Announcement from the Author

I am afraid to say that as of today, November 14, "Animal I Have Become" is going to be put on official hiatus. The most inspiration I've had for the most recent chapter in over a year amounts to something comparable to one screenshot in a movie or TV show. It doesn't help that my interests have shifted to other fandoms.

However, unlike my other Star Wars story, "I'm With You" (which has been deleted), I am planning on finishing this one…eventually. Apologies to those who have been awaiting an update (though I wouldn't be surprised if everyone had forgotten about this), but you're going to have to wait a while longer. I do not plan on permanently abandoning this any time in the foreseeable future, so there's at least that small comfort.

Before I go, I ask that you don't review this announcement. It will be taken down and replaced with the next chapter when I find the motivation to write it, and any reviews for this announcement will become rather out of place and confusing. If you really want to review though, do an anonymous review so I can delete it when I update. I'll be sure to write you a PM to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

~Serqey


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